NEW DELHI: With a rise in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) activity along India’s borders in recent months, especially in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, security agencies are working on a renewed plan to deal with the growing threat.
Officials in the security grid said a report prepared by intelligence agencies indicates that several non-state actors in Pakistan, including terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Khalistani extremist outfits, have procured paragliders and related equipment. These groups are allegedly involved in terrorism and drug trafficking and the new aerial platforms are seen as a serious threat to national security.
The officials said the countermeasures being planned and reorganised will be comprehensive and involve multiple agencies and forces. “Each of the forces and agencies responsible for protecting India’s western frontiers are in the process of procuring higher-precision anti-drone devices,” a source said.
According to the source, the renewed plan has assumed critical importance as UAV activity has been repeatedly noticed along the Indo-Pak border, particularly during night hours. Most of these attempts were successfully countered by security forces.
However, sources in the national security grid confirmed that reports of unauthorised flying objects have also emerged from different parts of the country, indicating that the threat is not limited to border areas alone.
The evolving risk from aerial platforms such as drones, remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs), paragliders, hang-gliders and similar objects is being closely studied and factored into existing security arrangements, including preparations for Republic Day 2026, the sources said.
They added that the report also notes that globally, drones are increasingly being used to target dignitaries and other high-value assets, underlining their growing role in asymmetric warfare and terror tactics.
In this context, sources said a fresh assessment is underway to strengthen countermeasures, as such devices have the capability to bypass conventional security systems and carry out terror strikes.
On January 12, security forces guarding the Line of Control and the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir spotted repeated drone-like objects hovering over Indian territory, forcing them to activate counter-drone measures. However, officials said the forces lacked the capability to neutralise such objects before they crossed into Indian airspace.